January 2001
Planning permission granted for the Vestas but The Wind Fund withdraw from the project with concerns that the scheme won't give the level of economic returns that are required by a community owned wind farm. I had been approached by various Plc's and large utilities who would like to develop the site... but... not as a community owned wind farm. After 10 years work it is tempting to sell out at this stage but having come this far it feels like that would be a shame.

Summer 2001
Baywind Energy Co-operative (who I had been working with several years ago) have recently teamed up with National Wind Power (NWP) to try and develop more community owned (by locals) wind farms.

National Wind Power believe that to make the scheme economically viable with community ownership the site needs a different wind turbine, a Bonus 1.3 MW (link). The Bonus 1.3 MW wind turbine has 5m longer blades - but produces approximately 40% more electricity, i.e enough for over 3500 homes... 9000 people ! It is also slightly quieter.

Baywind, NWP and myself agree in principle to take the scheme forward with 2 out of the 5 wind turbines owned by a new, local co-operative to be set up by Baywind and the other 3 owned by NWP.

September 2001
Submit a new Planning Application to substitute the 5 Bonus 1.3 MW wind turbines for the Vestas wind turbines... the fun begins... !

October 2001
Anti wind farm activities begin with a few local individuals (two of my neighbours ) distributing flyers around Watchfield village showing photos of the wind turbines twice the size they will actually be along with other inaccurate and alarmist 'information'. They also start writing to the local Great and Good, asking them to oppose the application.

November 2001
Local opposition group formed - Vale Environment ConcernS (VECS) - about a dozen people, largely retired, most long term locals, some recent 'incomers', the odd weekender, all living in nice detached houses.

To meet local concerns I organise a public meeting in Watchfield Village Hall with a representative from NWP and Baywind. Ask a local (but not from Watchfield) vicar to chair meeting.

Put up notices all around area. Prepare information sheets to give out at the meeting, with information about the project, especially about noise, also some photomontages etc., etc. I invite local media. VECS also offered a platform to speak at meeting. A brief overview and presentation from myself and then questions from the public. VECS bus in professional anti wind farm campaigner (all the way from west Wales) to public meeting who pretends to be a disinterested, but authoritative local!

Main concern raised at the public meeting is the lack of detailed information... This seems reasonable - even though there is very little difference between existing permission and current application.

I am happy to provide information, photomontages, noise report etc., but VECS are clamouring for a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

(With hindsight I realised that they have no real interest in an EIA, unless, of course, it gave them the conclusions they wanted to hear. They are more interested in delaying the project and making it as expensive a process as possible !)

December 2001
Opposition grows... probably 30 or so letters of opposition on the planning file, including one from the National Trust, my neighbour, and also a ''local'' multi-millionnaire tax exile, who has employed planning consultants to produce a chunky report on the visual blight the turbines will cause.

Given the level of local concern about noise and visual impact I decide to check out what the Bonus wind turbines will look like in a lowland landscape. I had previously visited Lambrigg wind farm near Kendal, the only Bonus 1.3MW wind turbines then in the UK. I had gone to listen to them. Noise, I came away sure wouldn't be a problem, but they were big and industrial,... would they be a blot on our bit of pretty middle England landscape ?